Everyday, Steven Johnson Syndrome is adding up more and more victims to its list. Now, not only elders but also children are suffering from the dreadful effects of this disease. Drug manufacturers are also the ones to blame for this situation. The development of this disease is resulting in an increasing number of victims and major economic losses for many pharmaceutical companies.
Last year, a 7 year old girl filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. Her lawyers claimed that she suffered an allergic reaction (better known as Steven Johnson Syndrome) to the medicament Children's Motrin, which caused her to become blind and photosensitive. They claimed there were no warnings on the box of the medicament. The manufacturer did not warn about the side effects of the product.
The complaint alleged negligence, strict product liability, breach of express and implied warranties, and deceit by concealment. Many other pharmaceutical companies were upset by this case; they committed themselves to act as defendants. Some of the companies involved were: McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, Ralphs Grocery Company, and McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceutical. Also, many firms offered to represent her in the courtroom.
The main allegation on this case is that Johnson & Johnson failed to educate the medical community about the risks of the syndrome, or any other skin reactions. Therefore, Children's Motrin is now considered an unsafe and dangerous product that should not be sold to consumers. They also claimed that the rumors of the links between Children's Motrin and SJS were heard in the pharmaceutical field since the late eighties.
The main concern of the defense was to take Children's Motrin off the market until it carried a warning label about their risks. Many reports of sight loss among other symptoms were received by that time and no one did anything about it.
The consequences of that syndrome endure a lifetime and are originated in just a couple of weeks. If costumers cannot trust the medicaments they find on drugstores, then what can be done? ...many lives could be dangerously affected by an unforgivable mistake. The duty of a drug manufacturer is to look for better health conditions for people. Do not feel afraid to claim for your rights as a consumer. Someone you love, or even yourself, can be the next victim.